Sand-feeding mechanism for molding machines



E. o. BEARDSLEY ET AL 1,752,549 SAND FEEDING MECHANISM FOR HOLDING MACHINES r Filed oct. 19. 192e 2 snee'cs-snee); 1

April 1, 1930.

vada/FP' @MMM AP l, 193.0- E. o. BEARDSLEY ET AL SAND FEEDING MECHNISM FOR M'OLDING MACHINES Filed OC.. 19, 1928 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 Patented Apr. 1, 1,930

UNITED STATES PATENT oFFlcE ELHEB O. BEABDSLEY AND WALTER F. PIPER, OF CHICAGO, ILLINOIS, ASSIGNORS TO THE BEARDSLEY PIPER ILLINOIS Application led. October 19,- 1928.

The invention relates to sand feeding nlchanism for molding machines and the In sand feedin mechanism of the t e set 5 forth in our app ication for Letters atent filed Dec. 8, 1924, Serial No. 754,487, and in which sand is fed from a reservoir containing a supply for filling a number of molds, by. an endless or slat conveyor at the bottom of the reservoir, it has been found that the sandis not uniformly delivered from all portions of the reservoir, and one object of the present invention is to provide devices in the reservoir for causing the sand to be uniformly discharged from all portions of the reservoir. In practice, it has been found that when a bottom conveyor is used to discharge tbesand from the reservoir,'the conveyor will be loaded adjacent the end of the reservoir at which the conveyor enters it, and

the sand adjacent the discharge end will become packed, so that it will not freely fall on the conveyor and be removed thereby.

In accordance with the present invention,

batlies or gauge bars are placed in the reservoir and progressively spaced from the conveyor, to cause the latter to pick up the sand from all portions of the reservoir, so that the pile therein will be gradually lowered until the reservoir has been emptied.

Other objects of the invention will appear` from the detailed description.

The invention consists in the several novel features hereinafter set forth and more particularly defined by claims at the conclusion hereof.

yIn the drawings: Fig. 1 isA a vertical lonitudinal section of a machine embodying the lnvention. Fig. 2 is a plan. Fig. 3 vis a transverse section through the reservoir and conveyor. Fig. 4 is a detail of one of the adj ustable devices for holding the bailies in different ositions. Fig. 5 is section on line 5-'5 of ig. 4.

The invention is exemplified in a machin comprising /a reservoir 10 which is adapted to contain a large quantity of molding sand, usually sufficient to fill a run of flasks. This reservoir has xan open bottom, and a discharge opening 22 for the sand adjacent the bottom COMPANY, OF CHICAGO, ILLINOIS, A CORPORATION OF BAND-FEEDING ISM FOR M-OLDING MACHINES Serial No. 318,619.

and at one end thereof. 'The volume of sand discharged is controlled by a vertically adjustable gate or valve 23 which is mounted on arms 27 which are pivoted, at 28, to the reservoir. A suitable adjusting device, such as a cable 23El and winding drum 23? may be used to adjust the position of the gate to cortodischarge the sand through opening 22 un`v der control of gate 23. The slats 14 are preferably of the overlapping type, so their raised or overlapping portions will positively engage the sand and carry it forward. Chains 13 are mounted to travel on a pair of driven sprockets l5 adjacent the discharge end of the reservoir, and a pair of idler sprockets 16 adjacent the other end. Sprockets 15 are operated to drive the conveyor to feed the sand forwardly through opening 22, b any suitable mechanism, such, for examp e, as that set forth in our aforesaid application No. 7 54,487. A series of baiies or gauges 24, 25, and 26 extend across the lower portion of the reservoir and are progressively spaced from'the conveyor, the baffle 24 adjacent the end of the reservoir at which the conveyor enters being closest to the reservoir, and the others being spaced greater distances therefrom. As a result, the baille 24 will act to retard the forward feeding of the sand adacent theinlet end of the conveyor, and the aiile 25, which is spaced farther from the conveyor, will permit some of the sand above the lower edge of the baille 24, to be carried forwardly by the conveyor, and the baille 26, which is spaced farther from the belt than the bafe 25, will permit some of the sand above the lower edge of the baille 25 to be fed forwardly by the conveyor. This, in practice, has beeii found to result in causing the pile of sand in the reservoir to be uniformly fed therefrom. In practice it has also been found that, without these bales, the sand adjacent the inlet end of the conveyor would settle and be carried forward by the con- .veyor and would out its Way through the pile toward the discharge end ot the reservoir. In some instances` this would cut a path in the portion ofthe pile adjacent the d ischarge end, andthe sand above it would. become packed, So that it Would. not be freely and uniformly discharged as is desirable when sand in regulated quantity is to be delivered to a molding machine.v This would also cause the sand adi arent the inlet end ot the conveyor to be alinost. entirely removed without removing the portion adjacent the discharge end of the conveyor; .3y providing ballies which are progressively spaced from the conveyor, it has been tound that the sand will be unijiormly fed Jfrom all portions of the reservoir, and the pile will gradually settle, so it will be uniformlyv fed by the conveyor until all of the sand has been discharged.

The batlies are adjustable to release the sand according to the volume of sand to be discharged under the gate 23, and in accord ance with the area of the discharge opening. F or this purpose, cach of the battles is secured to a shaft 30 which extends through the side walls of the reservoir and is journalled therein, and a stop arm 31 is fixed to one end of said shaft. The forward feeding of the sand tends to swing the batlles forwardly, and by adjusting the position of the stop-arms 3l., the operative positions of the battles may be varied to bring their lovver edges toward or from the conveyor to vary the spacings between them and the conveyor.

Stop lugs 32 are adapted to be engaged by arms 3l respectively, and these stop lugs are each adjustably secured by holts 33 which extend through an elongated slot 3ft in an angle iron bar 35 which is tixedly secured to the reservoir. By adjusting the stop lugs the position of sto arms 31 may be individually varied to hol i shafts 30 and the battles in different positions. The bailies are preferably formed of bars of angle iron 36, to which lugs 37 are welded. Shafts 30 pass through lugs 37, and are keyed or otherwise secured to said lugs. This construction exemplifies means for individually adjusting the battles so they can be set to retard more or less of the sand adjacent the conveyor.

The reservoir 10 is mounted upon a truck comprising a suitable frame l2 which is provided vvith Wheels 14 which are adapted to run on a track, so that the machine may be transported over a molding room floor. The conveyor, which feeds the sand from the reservoir, discharges it into a sieve or riddle 2l which delivers the sand into the lower end of a housingr 18, from which a bucket elevator 20 conveys the sand for delivery to the molding machine, as more fully set forth in our aforesaid application No. 754,487, to which.,

reference may be had for a more detailed description and illustration of the truck and mechanism for operating the conveyor.

he invention exemplifies sand feeding mechanism ot the type in which an endless conveyor travels across the bottom oi' a res crvoir 'to deliver sand in regulated volume, in which devices are provided to cause the sand to be removed from all portions of the pile, and to prevent settling or packing of the sand in one portion, and the complete removal of the sand fro n another portion; also mechanism of that character in which the devices are individually adjustable for varying conditions in the sand.

The invention is not to be understood as restricted to the details set fort-h, since these may be modified within the scope of the appended claims, Without departing from the spirit and scope of the invention,

Having thus described the invention, what we claim new and desire to secure by Letters Patent, is:

l. In sand feeding mechanism, the combin nation ot a reservoir having an open bottom and a discharge opening adjacent the bottom and at one end thereof, an endless conveyor at the bottom ol` the reservoir, for discharging sand through said opening, mechanism for driving the conveyor, and a series of bailles extending across the interior of the reservoir. said baiiles being progressively spaced from the conveyor so as to retard the sand above consecutive portions of the conveyor in ditferent quantities.

2. In sand feeding mechanism, the combination of al reservoir having an open bottom and a discharge opening adjacent the bottom and at one end thereof, an endless conveyor at the bottom of the reservoir for discharging sand through said opening, mechanism for driving the conveyor, and a set of battles extending across the interior of the reservoir, said bales being arranged so as to leave progressively increasing unretardcd portions of sand above the conveyor and causea substantially uniform discharge of the sand from all parts of the reservoir during operation of said conveyor.

3. ln a sand feeding mechanism, the combination ot a reservoir having an open bottom and a discharge opening adjacent the bottom and at one end thereof, an endless conveyor at the bottom of the reservoir. for discharging sand through said opening, mechanism Yfor driving the conveyor, and baiiles adjustable to and from the conveyor for retarding the sand during operation of said mechanism.A

Il. In sand feeding mechanism, the combination of a reservoir having an open bottom and a discharge `opening adjacent the bottom and at one end thereof, an endless conveyor at the bottom of the reservoir for discharging Ysand through said opening, mechanism for driving the conveyor, and a series of bales for retarding the sand duri ing operation of the mechamsm, said bailles being individually adjustable to the conveyor.

5. In sand feeding mechanism, thecombination of a reservoir having an open bottom and a discharge opening adjacent the bottom and at one end thereof, an endless conveyor at the bottom of the reservoir, for discharging sand through said opening, mechanism for driving the conveyor, and pivoted bailles in the reservoir spaced from, and to retard the sand over, the conveyor.

6. In sand feeding mechanism, the combination of a reservoir having an open bottom and a discharge opening adjacent the bottom and at one end thereof, an endless conveyor at the bottom of the reservoir for discharging sand through said opening, mechanism for driving the conve or, a baille for `retarding the sand during rive of the conveyor, apivoted shaft for the baie, and adjustable means for holding the shaft against rotation.

7 In sand feeding mechanism, the combination of a. reservoir having an open bottom and a. disharge opening adjacent the bottom of the reservoir, an endless conveyor at the bottom of the reservoir for dischargingsand through said opening, mechanism for driving the conveyor, an adjustable gate for regulating the discharge of sand from the reservoir by the conve or, and baiiles spaced from the bottom of t e conveyor to retard the sand durin drive of the conveyor.

8. In sand eeding mechanism, the combination of a reservoir having an open bottom and a disharge opening adjacent the bottom of the reservoir, an endless conveyor at the bottom of the reservoir for discharging sand through said openin mechanism and from for driving the conveyor, an a justable gate for regula-tin the discharge of sand from the reservoir` by t e conveyor, and bales spaced from the bottom of the conveyor to retard the sand durin drive of the conveyor, said baiiles being adjustable to and from the conveyor.

9. In sand feeding mechanism, the combination of a reservoir having an open bottom and a discharge opening adjacent the bottom of the reservoir, an endless conveyor at the bottom of the conveyor for discharging sand through said opening, mechanism for driving the conveyor, a gate for regulating the discharge of sand from the reservoir by the conveyor, and angle-iron bailles spaced from the bottom of the conveyor to retard the sand during drive of the conveyor.

Signed at Chicago,Illinois, this 16th day` of October,.l928.

ELMER O. BEARDSLEY. WALTER F. PIPER. 

